I’ve also studied a little bit of Japanese and while my speaking skills are still rather basic, I’ve spent a great deal of time trying to learn how to read it.
The thing that motivates me is that a great many games I want to play are only released in Japan, which makes the language barrier a necessary hurdle for full enjoyment.
One of my favorite game series, Shin Megami Tensei, has a plenty of installments that have never seen official translations. As I love learning about myths and legends, their compendiums are some of my favorite parts.
As such, I translated the compendiums of Shin Megami Tensei II (GBA-version) and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (PSP-version) to English in my spare time.
Shin Megami Tensei and related graphics and original Japanese text belong to Atlus.
Note: Due to the nature of the series, the compendium may contain spoilers or religious, violent or sexually suggestive imagery. You’ve been warned.
Shin Megami Tensei II was originally released for Super Famicom and features a cyberpunk setting replete with Smiley-Masked Chainsaw Murderers, Mutants, Robots, Punk Fairies and Beetlejuice. No, really!
Moving away from the dystopian post-apocalyptic setting of the main series, SMT: Devil Summoner (originally released on Sega Saturn) has a modern private detective theme and features in its recruitable enemy cast Yakuza Vampires, Zombie Bums and a Flying Pink Elephant. This one was fun to translate because PSP-version’s resolution renders kanji letters very blurry.